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I was thinking this morning about my brother, and thought I would share pics of him, his dog Sunny, and my Mom's English Springer Spaniel collection. My parents got my brother an English Springer Spaniel when he was in the 10th grade. He loved her!! She went everywhere with him wearing a red bandana he kept tied around her neck when they went off. When he turned old enough to drive, they got him a jeep with a removable top. Bo would take the top off, and Sunny would ride around everywhere on the passenger seat with him so much that the hair on the top of her head and ears would literally get sun-bleached! LOL Being this was the late 1980s, and we were not people who knew a lot about dogs, I'm sure my brother did things that weren't safe (like riding her in the front seat of a jeep without a car seat or buckled in someway). Sunny also wouldn't stay out of the pool. She got so sick from swallowing so much chlorinated water that my Dad had to build her a separate fenced area in the yard to keep her out of the pool. Bo used to carry Sunny around like slung over his shoulder like a shepherd carries a lamb. That was her spot--I really wish we were picture-takers, and I had more pics, but this was the 80s before the days of the cell phone camera. Bo always used to say, "If anything happens to me, bury Sunny with me wrapped around my shoulders. That's where she'll be happiest."--silly talk of course. Wonder is he had some unconscious instinct of what was to come?

When Bo was a Senior, he really wanted to go to college away at Auburn. He and my parents toured it and all minds were made up, but he couldn't take Sunny. He knew he could leave her with my parents, but he learned of a home she could have on a farm with a wonderful family that would take excellent care of her, and she would have plenty of room to roam and play. He made a big sacrifice to him for her and let her go a home that he trusted would be in her best interest. At the last minute somehow my parents convinced him to stay home and go to University of Mobile. A few months into his freshman year of college, he was on his way to class one morning when he looked at some activity going on on the side of the road and ran into the back of a dump truck. He was taken to the hospital where the next morning he was pronounced brain dead.

I don't know how my brother got this pic of Sunny with no cell phone, but this is the only pic I have.

This is my brother. A very old, poor copy of his college tennis picture.

My Mom collects English Springer Spaniels--just a little thing in honor of my bro. Here is some of her collection.

I hope ya'll don't mind my trip down memory lane. My brother died this month in 1989, and I guess he's just on my mind.

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Your mother has a wonderful collection of the spaniels, to honor your brother. It is so hard when you loose them young. We lost my sister in a car accident, on Christmas Eve. I think it is so, so hard to loose a sibling. Hugs to you. He was a very handsome young man.

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I thank everyone so very much for your wonderfully kind words! As everyone's loved ones are, yes, he was very special. He was someone that you didn't forget if you ever met him even once. I have always loved that pic of Sunny with her ears flying in the wind. lol I wish I could find one with her red bandana.

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Ohhh Tina! I am so so sorry for your loss. Bo was so handsome, doesn't surprise me bc you're gorgeous. Such a beautiful story, I'm not gone lie, I shed some tears. He and Sunni shared such a close bond!! And the memorial your mom has is so sweet, such a unique idea. I love the picture of Sunni, you can see how happy he was. My mom lost her brother before I was born to a car accident as well, he was hit by a drunk bus driver in Serbia. His name was Zoran, which is how I got my name, after him!!

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Ohhh Tina! I am so so sorry for your loss. Bo was so handsome, doesn't surprise me bc you're gorgeous. Such a beautiful story, I'm not gone lie, I shed some tears. He and Sunni shared such a close bond!! And the memorial your mom has is so sweet, such a unique idea. I love the picture of Sunni, you can see how happy he was. My mom lost her brother before I was born to a car accident as well, he was hit by a drunk bus driver in Serbia. His name was Zoran, which is how I got my name, after him!!

Thanks, Zorana! It must be special knowing you were named after your uncle. My aunt, that's 2 yrs older than I am and is like mine and Bo's sister because she practically grew up with us, threaten my life if I named one of the boys after Bo because she wanted so bad to name her first born after him. lol I was OK with that. Her son was born 3 years after my boys, and she named him Blake which was my brother's real name. My dad, who is my aunt's brother, is 21 years older than she. The reason she has practically lived with us all her life is that her mother died of a brain aneurysm 2 days before her 12th birthday. We had my grandmother's funeral on her daughter's (my aunt) 12th birthday. My granddad was and is still alive, but he worked shift work, and my aunt couldn't stay alone for those hours while he was at work. Also, as you can tell by the age difference my aunt was a late-in-life baby making her dad more a granddad's age. At the times she would go home to stay with him when he was on days, she would always want me to come stay too. I had a wonderful childhood, but it was not without some times of great sadness, but I'm sure everyone has similar stories. Sorry to go on and on!

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That's so sad. It must have been very hard to lose him especially at such a young age. The story about him and Sunny is beautiful and a great memory to remember him by. And that picture he took of Sunny is amazing!!

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Thanks, Zorana! It must be special knowing you were named after your uncle. My aunt, that's 2 yrs older than I am and is like mine and Bo's sister because she practically grew up with us, threaten my life if I named one of the boys after Bo because she wanted so bad to name her first born after him. lol I was OK with that. Her son was born 3 years after my boys, and she named him Blake which was my brother's real name. My dad, who is my aunt's brother, is 21 years older than she. The reason she has practically lived with us all her life is that her mother died of a brain aneurysm 2 days before her 12th birthday. We had my grandmother's funeral on her daughter's (my aunt) 12th birthday. My granddad was and is still alive, but he worked shift work, and my aunt couldn't stay alone for those hours while he was at work. Also, as you can tell by the age difference my aunt was a late-in-life baby making her dad more a granddad's age. At the times she would go home to stay with him when he was on days, she would always want me to come stay too. I had a wonderful childhood, but it was not without some times of great sadness, but I'm sure everyone has similar stories. Sorry to go on and on!

Awwww that is so sweet she named her first son after Blake!! Sorry to hear about your grandma, I can't imagine losing a parent so young but she was lucky to have your mom and dad step in and take care of her. Althoughy family lives overseas, we r super close just like you guys. I enjoyed your story Tina!!

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